9372. And He said unto Moses. That this signifies that which concerns the Word in general, is evident from the representation of Moses, as being the Word (of which below); and from the signification of “He said,” as involving those things which follow in this chapter, thus those which concern the Word (see n. 9370). (That Moses represents the Word, can be seen from what has been often shown before about Moses, as from the preface to Genesis 18; and n. 4859, 5922, 6723, 6752, 6771, 6827, 7010, 7014, 7089, 7382, 8601, 8760, 8787, 8805.) Here Moses represents the Word in general, because it is said of him in what follows, that he alone should come near unto Jehovah (verse 2); and also that, being called unto out of the midst of the cloud, he entered into it, and went up the mount (verses 16-18).

[2] In the Word there are many who represent the Lord in respect to truth Divine, or in respect to the Word; but chief among them are Moses, Elijah, Elisha, and John the Baptist. That Moses does so, can be seen in the explications just cited above; that so do Elijah and Elisha, can be seen in the preface to Genesis 18; and n. 2762, 5247; and that John the Baptist does so is evident from the fact that he was “Elias who was to come.” He who does not know that John the Baptist represented the Lord as to the Word, cannot know what all those things infold and signify which are said about him in the New Testament; and therefore in order that this secret may stand open, and that at the same time it may appear that Elias, and also Moses, who were seen when the Lord was transfigured, signified the Word, some things may here be quoted which are spoken about John the Baptist; as in Matthew:

After the messengers of John had departed, Jesus began to speak concerning John, saying, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? a reed shaken by the wind? But what went ye out to see? a man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they that wear soft things are in kings’ houses. But what went ye out to see? a prophet? Yea, I say unto you, even more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written, Behold I send Mine angel before Thy face, who shall prepare Thy way before Thee. Verily I say unto you, Among those who are born of women there hath not arisen a greater than John the Baptist; nevertheless he that is less in the kingdom of the heavens is greater than he. All the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if ye are willing to believe, he is Elias who was to come. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear (Matthew 11:7-15; and also Luke 7:24-28).

No one can know how these things are to be understood, unless he knows that this John represented the Lord as to the Word, and unless he also knows from the internal sense what is signified by “the wilderness” in which he was, also what by “a reed shaken by the wind,” and likewise by “soft raiment in kings’ houses;” and further what is signified by his being “more than a prophet,” and by “none among those who are born of women being greater than he, and nevertheless he that is less in the kingdom of the heavens is greater than he,” and lastly by his being “Elias.” For without a deeper sense, all these words are uttered merely from some comparison, and not from anything of weight.

[3] But it is very different when by John is understood the Lord as to the Word, or the Word representatively. Then by “the wilderness of Judea in which John was” is signified the state in which the Word was at the time when the Lord came into the world, namely, that it was “in the wilderness,” that is, it was in obscurity so great that the Lord was not at all acknowledged, neither was anything known about His heavenly kingdom; when yet all the prophets prophesied about Him, and about His kingdom, that it was to endure forever. (That “a wilderness” denotes such obscurity, see n. 2708, 4736, 7313.) For this reason the Word is compared to “a reed shaken by the wind” when it is explained at pleasure; for in the internal sense “a reed” denotes truth in the ultimate, such as is the Word in the letter.

[4] That the Word in the ultimate, or in the letter, is crude and obscure in the sight of men; but that in the internal sense it is soft and shining, is signified by their “not seeing a man clothed in soft raiment, for behold those who wear soft things are in kings’ houses.” That such things are signified by these words, is plain from the signification of “raiment,” or “garments,” as being truths (n. 2132, 2576, 4545, 4763, 5248, 6914, 6918, 9093); and for this reason the angels appear clothed in garments soft and shining according to the truths from good with them (n. 5248, 5319, 5954, 9212, 9216). The same is evident from the signification of “kings’ houses,” as being the abodes of the angels, and in the universal sense, the heavens; for “houses” are so called from good (n. 2233, 2234, 3128, 3652, 3720, 4622, 4982, 7836, 7891, 7996, 7997); and “kings,” from truth (n. 1672, 2015, 2069, 3009, 4575, 4581, 4966, 5044, 6148). Therefore by virtue of their reception of truth from the Lord, the angels are called “sons of the kingdom,” “sons of the king,” and also “kings.”

[5] That the Word is more than any doctrine in the world, and more than any truth in the world, is signified by “what went ye out to see? a prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet;” and by, “there hath not arisen among those who are born of women a greater than John the Baptist;” for in the internal sense “a prophet” denotes doctrine (n. 2534, 7269); and “those who are born,” or are the sons, “of women” denote truths (n. 489, 491, 533, 1147, 2623, 2803, 2813, 3704, 4257).

[6] That in the internal sense, or such as it is in heaven, the Word is in a degree above the Word in the external sense, or such as it is in the world, and such as John the Baptist taught, is signified by, “he that is less in the kingdom of the heavens is greater than he;” for as perceived in heaven the Word is of wisdom so great that it transcends all human apprehension. That the prophecies about the Lord and His coming, and that the representatives of the Lord and of His kingdom, ceased when the Lord came into the world, is signified by, “all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.” That the Word was represented by John, as by Elijah, is signified by his being “Elias who is to come.”

[7] The same is signified by these words in Matthew:

The disciples asked Jesus, Why say the scribes that Elias must first come? He answered and said, Elias must needs first come, and restore all things. But I say unto you, that Elias hath come already, and they knew him not, but did unto him whatsoever they wished. Even so shall the Son of man also suffer of them. And they understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist (Matthew 17:10-13).

That “Elias hath come, and they knew him not, but did unto him whatsoever they wished” signifies that the Word has indeed taught them that the Lord is to come, but that still they did not wish to comprehend, interpreting it in favor of the rule of self, and thus extinguishing what is Divine in it. That they would do the same with the truth Divine itself, is signified by “even so shall the Son of man also suffer of them.” (That “the Son of man” denotes the Lord as to truth Divine, see n. 2803, 2813, 3704)

[8] From all this it is now evident what is meant by the prophecy about John in Malachi:

Behold I send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of Jehovah cometh (Malachi 4:5).

Moreover, the Word in the ultimate, or such as it is in the external form in which it appears before man in the world, is described by the “clothing” and “food” of John the Baptist, in Matthew:

John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, had His clothing of camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his food was locusts and wild honey (Matthew 3:1, 4).

In like manner it is described by Elijah in the second book of Kings:

He was a hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins (2 Kings 1:8).

By “clothing,” or a “garment,” when said of the Word, is signified truth Divine there in the ultimate form; by “camel’s hair” are signified memory-truths such as appear there before a man in the world; by the “leathern girdle” is signified the external bond connecting and keeping in order all the interior things; by “food” is signified spiritual nourishment from the knowledges of truth and of good out of the Word; by “locusts” are signified ultimate or most general truths; and by “wild honey” their pleasantness.

[9] That such things are signified by “clothing” and “food” has its origin in the representatives of the other life, where all appear clothed according to truths from good, and where food also is represented according to the desires of acquiring knowledge and growing wise. From this it is that “clothing,” or a “garment,” denotes truth (as may be seen from the citations above; and that “food” or “meat” denotes spiritual nourishment, n. 3114, 4459, 4792, 5147, 5293, 5340, 5342, 5576, 5579, 5915, 8562, 9003; that “a girdle” denotes a bond which gathers up and holds together interior things, n. 9341; that “leather” denotes what is external, n. 3540; and thus “a leathern girdle” denotes an external bond; that “hairs” denote ultimate or most general truths, n. 3301, 5569-5573; that “a camel” denotes memory-knowledge in general, n. 3048, 3071, 3143, 3145, 4156; that “a locust” denotes nourishing truth in the extremes, n. 7643; and that “honey” denotes the pleasantness thereof, n. 5620, 6857, 8056). It is called “wild honey,” or “honey of the field,” because by “a field” is signified the church (n. 2971, 3317, 3766, 7502, 7571, 9139, 9295). He who does not know that such things are signified, cannot possibly know why Elijah and John were so clothed. And yet that these things signified something peculiar to these prophets, can be thought by everyone who thinks well about the Word.

[10] Because John the Baptist represented the Lord as to the Word, therefore also when he spoke of the Lord, who was the Word itself, he said of himself that he was “not Elias, nor the prophet,” and that he was “not worthy to loose the latchet of the Lord’s shoe,” as in John:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word. And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory. The Jews from Jerusalem, priests and Levites, asked John who he was. And he confessed, and denied not, I am not the Christ. Therefore they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? But he said, I am not. Art thou the prophet? He answered, No. They said therefore unto him, Who art thou? He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said Isaiah the prophet. They said therefore, Why then baptizest thou, if thou art not the Christ, nor Elias, nor the prophet? He answered, I baptize with water; in the midst of you standeth one whom ye know not; He it is who is to come after me, who was before me, the latchet of whose shoe I am not worthy to unloose. When he saw Jesus, he said, Behold the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world! This is He of whom I said, After me cometh a man who was before me; for he was before me (John 1:1, 14, 19-30).

From these words it is plain that when John spoke about the Lord Himself, who was Truth Divine itself, or the Word, he said that he himself was not anything, because the shadow disappears when the light itself appears, that is, the representative disappears when the original itself makes its appearance. (That the representatives had in view holy things, and the Lord Himself, and not at all the person that represented, see n. 665, 1097, 1361, 3147, 3881, 4208, 4281, 4288, 4292, 4307, 4444, 4500, 6304, 7048, 7439, 8588, 8788, 8806.) One who does not know that representatives vanish like shadows at the presence of light, cannot know why John denied that he was Elias and the prophet.

[11] From all this it can now be seen what is signified by Moses and Elias, who were seen in glory, and who spoke with the Lord when transfigured, of His departure which He should accomplish at Jerusalem (Luke 9:29-31); namely, that they signified the Word (“Moses” the historic Word, and “Elias” the prophetic Word), which in the internal sense throughout treats of the Lord, of His coming into the world, and of His departure out of the world; and therefore it is said that “Moses and Elias were seen in glory,” for “glory” denotes the internal sense of the Word, and the “cloud” its external sense (see the preface to Genesis 18, and n. 5922, 8427).

803. And power was given him over every tribe, and tongue, and nation. That this signifies domination over all the truths and goods of the church, and over the doctrine of faith and love, is evident from the signification of power, as denoting domination; and from the signification of tribe, as denoting the truths and goods of the church in general (concerning which see above, n. 39, 330, 430, 431, 454, 657). And from the signification of tongue, as denoting the doctrine of the church, also confession and religion (concerning which also see above, n. 330, 455, 625, 657); in the present case, the doctrine of faith. And from the signification of nation, as denoting the good of love, also the doctrine of love and of the church thence (concerning which see above, n. 175, 331, 625, 657). Hence it is evident that by power being given to the beast over every tribe, and tongue, and nation, is signified domination over all the truths and goods of the church, and over the doctrine of faith and love. And whereas by the beast is signified the doctrine of faith separate from the life, proved and enforced by reasonings from the natural man, it follows, that to this faith is given domination over everything pertaining to the church and its doctrine.

That this domination was given to it is evident from this fact, that faith alone is the universal principle that rules in the churches; for it is regarded as the essential means of salvation. This also is clear from the doctrines of the churches, also from the oral confession of the men of the church, and, in general, from their lives; also, from this fact, that they do not know what charity and love are, consequently they do not know what works are. And because such is the domination of faith separated, therefore it domineers also over all the truths and goods of the church; and it extinguishes them by falsifying, perverting, and adulterating them. For where that faith rules, there is no longer anything good, and, consequently, nothing true.

[2] It is known, that faith from love is an essential means of salvation, and that therefore it is a principle of the doctrine of the church. But because it is of importance to know how a man may be in enlightenment, so as to learn the truths which must constitute his faith; and in affection, so as to do the goods which must constitute his love, thus whether his faith be the faith of truth, and his love the love of good, this shall be shown in order, as follows:

1. Let him read the Word every day, either one or two chapters, and learn from a master, and from preachings, the dogmas of his religion; and especially let him learn that God is one, that the Lord is the God of heaven and earth (John 3:35; 17:2; Matthew 11:27; 28:18), that the Word is holy, that there is a heaven and a hell, and that there is a life after death.

2. Let him learn from the Word, from a master, and from preachings, what works are sins, and that in particular they are adulteries, thefts, murders, false witness, and various others mentioned in the Decalogue; likewise that lascivious and obscene thoughts are also adulteries, that frauds and illicit gains are also thefts; that hatred and revenge are also murders; and that lies and blasphemies are also false witness; and so on. Let him learn all these things from infancy until the age of adolescence.

3. When a man begins to think from himself - which is the case after the age of adolescence, it must then be the first and chief thing with him, to desist from doing evils, because they are sins against the Word, thus against God; and that if he does them, life eternal is not his, but hell; and afterwards as he advances in years, to shun them, as accursed, and turn away from them even in thought and intention. But in order to desist from them, and shun and be averse to them, he must supplicate the Lord for aid. The sins, from which he must desist, and which he must shun and be averse to, are principally adulteries, frauds, illicit gains, hatreds, revenge, lies, blasphemies, and conceit.

4. So far as a man desists from those things because they are contrary to the Word, and thence opposed to God, so far communication is given him with the Lord, and conjunction with heaven is effected. For the Lord enters, and with the Lord heaven, as evils are removed. For these and their falsities are the sole hindrances. The reason is, that man is in the midst between heaven and hell; wherefore hell acts from the one part, and heaven from the other. In proportion, therefore, as the evils from hell are removed, in the same proportion the goods from heaven enter; for the Lord says,

"Behold I stand at the door and knock, if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will enter in unto him" (Apocalypse 3:20).

But if a man desists from doing those evils from any other reason than that they are sins, and contrary to the Word, and thence opposed to God, no conjunction with heaven is affected with him, because his desisting is from himself, and not from the Lord. The Lord is in the Word, insomuch that He is called the Word (John 1:1-4), because the Word is from Him. That hence there is conjunction of heaven with the man of the church by means of the Word, may be seen in the work concerning Heaven and Hell 303-310).

5. So far, then, as a man detests those sins, so far good affections enter. Thus, so far as he detests adulteries, so far chastity enters. So far as he detests frauds and unlawful gains, so far sincerity and justice enter. So far as he detests hatred and revenge, so far charity enters. So far as he detests lies and blasphemies, so far truth enters. And so far as he detests conceit, so far enter humility before God, and the love of his neighbour as himself, and so on. Hence it follows, that to shun evils is to do goods.

6. So far as a man is in those good affections, so far he is led by the Lord and not of himself; and so far as he acts from them, so far he does goods, because he does them from the Lord and not from himself. In such case he acts from chastity, sincerity, justice, charity, and truth, in humility before God; and no one can act from these of himself.

7. The spiritual affections, which the Lord bestows on the man who is in these and who acts from them, are the affection of knowing and understanding the truths and goods of heaven and the church, together with the affection of willing and doing them; also the affection of fighting with zeal against falsities and evils, and dissipating them, both in himself and in others. Hence man has faith and love, and also he has intelligence and wisdom.

8. In this and no other way is a man reformed. And so far as he knows and believes truths, and wills and does them, so far he is regenerated, and from natural, becomes spiritual. It is similar with respect to his faith and love.

[3] If evils are not removed because they are sins, all that a man thinks, says, wills, and does, are neither goods nor truths before God; however they may appear to be so before the world. The reason is, that they are not from the Lord, but from man. For it is the love of man and of the world from which they are derived, and which is in them. Most people at this day believe that they will go to heaven if they have faith, live piously, and do goods; and yet they do not hold evils in aversion because they are sins, consequently they either commit them, or believe them to be allowable; and those that believe them to be allowable, commit them when opportunity is given. But let them know, that their faith is not faith, that their piety is not piety, and their goods are not goods; for they flow from the impurities which lie interiorly concealed in man, the external things deriving all their quality from internal things. For the Lord says,

"Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup and platter, that the outside may be clean also" (Matthew 23:26).

From these things it is now evident that if a man were to fulfil all things of the law, if he gave much to the poor, if he did good to the fatherless and the widow, indeed, if he also gave bread to the hungry and drink to the thirsty, took in strangers and clothed the naked, visited the sick and them that are bound in prison; if he preached the gospel strenuously, converted the Gentiles, frequented temples, heard preachings with devotion, attended the sacrament of the Supper frequently, spent his time in prayer, with other things; and his internal were not purified from hatred and revenge, from craftiness and malice, from insincerity and injustice, from the filthy delight of adultery, from the love of self and the love of ruling thence, and from the arrogance of his own intelligence, from contempt of others in comparison with himself, and from all other evils and the falsities thence, still all these works would be hypocritical, and from the man himself and not from the Lord. But, on the other hand, these very works, when the internal is purified, are all goods, because they are from the Lord in a man, who cannot do otherwise than perform such things, because he is in the love and faith of doing them.

What is here said, has been testified to me from a thousand examples in the spiritual world. I have heard that it has been granted to many to recall the actions of their life in the world, and to enumerate the goods they had done; but when their internal was opened it was discovered to be full of all evil and falsity thence. Then it was revealed to them, that the goods which they enumerated were done from themselves, because for the sake of themselves and the world, and that they flowed from their interior evils; whence they appeared either as scorched with fire, or as sooty.

[4] But the case is different with those who have abstained from doing evils, as a result of the Word, and have afterwards shunned and become averse to them, on account of their being sins, and contrary to love to God and charity towards the neighbour. The works of such persons, although they were similarly perceived as done from themselves, were all good, and similarly from the light of heaven, appeared to be as white snow and wool (Isaiah 1:12-18).

These are the works that are meant in the Word by works, which can by no means be separated from faith; for faith separate from them is dead; and a dead faith is a faith of falsity from an evil love; or it is the idea that a thing is so, the life being still evil.

That to abstain from evils from any other reason whatever than from the Word does not purify the internal man is evident from the origin of evil works, and from the origin of good works. As, for example, he who abstains from adulteries from fear of the civil law and its punishments; from fear of the loss of reputation and thence of honour; from fear of harm arising from poverty, covetousness, or avarice; from fear of sickness as a result of these; from fear of brawls at home with a wife and consequent intranquillity of life; from fear of being beaten by the servants of an injured husband; from infirmity arising either from abuse, age, or impotence; indeed, even from natural and hence moral good, as not being becoming and honest, etc.; and for these reasons alone lives chastely, still he is interiorly unchaste and an adulterer if he does not abstain from them from a spiritual belief that adulteries are infernal because contrary to the Divine Law, and thence contrary to the fear of God and to the love of his neighbour. And so in all other cases.

[5] From what has been adduced it may now be seen what the internal and the external are, also what faith and love are; that is to say, that faith and love are a man's when his internal has been purified from evils in the manner above mentioned; and that they are not his if it be not purified; and that where faith and love are, there heaven is; and that where faith and love are not, there is hell. More may be seen upon this subject below (n. 825).